1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a loading apparatus for particulate material that is conveyed, through conduits, in a gas stream. The loading apparatus separates the particulate material from the gas stream and stores the particulate material for subsequent discharge into a feed hopper or other vessel. The gas stream leaves the loading apparatus substantially free of particulate material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the plastics industry, particulate material such as plastic pellets or plastic regrind are often moved by an air stream in which the particulate material is entrained. The air stream is usually created by a vacuum pump that draws particulate material from a loading silo or other storage facility and conveys it to the feed hopper of an injection molding machine or to a intermediate storage facility for subsequent use.
In my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,415, I disclosed and claimed a material loading device to separate the entrained particulate material from the gas stream for loading into a feed hopper or the like. The present invention is directed to the solution of a similar problem, but offers a much simpler device which requires less maintenance and is more economical to build and to use.
Separating devices for separating entrained fluids or solids from gas streams are known in the art. Some of these devices bear a superficial resemblance to some features of the present invention. Examples of patents disclosing separators for removing solids or fluids from a gas stream are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,784,664; 1,908,181; 2,236,548; 2,354,677; 2,354,678; 3,684,093; Canadian No. 556,025; and Japanese No. 47-13225.
Many prior systems in the plastics industry for separating particulate material from moving gas streams included filters to remove the particulate fines. The filter material in prior loaders often became clogged and required extensive maintenance. Because the loaders were well above floor height, maintenance personnel had to climb ladders several times a day to maintain the filters in a condition where the gas stream could flow efficiently through them. My present invention eliminates the use of filters in the loader, thereby greatly reducing the maintenance required and also reducing the risk to maintenance personnel of climbing to heights in order to maintain the loaders.